Crew

Developer(s)

Publisher(s)

Technical Details

Version

Engine

Genre

First-person shooter

Mode(s)

Singleplayer, Multiplayer, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network

Ratings

ESRB: MPEGI: 16ACB: MA15+

Media

Blu-ray, DVD, Digital distribution

Input methods

Gamepad, keyboard, mouse

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (also known as Bad Company 2, BFBC2 or BC2) is the tenth installment in the Battlefield Series and was developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to Battlefield: Bad Company and was praised by critics, many of which commended DICE's work on the destructible environments, and its robust multiplayer component.

Contents

Achievements and Trophies

Singleplayer

Overview

The first image released for Bad Company 2

Gameplay in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 resembles that of Battlefield: Bad Company. The story takes place mostly in South America, allowing players to play through missions using any tactics they choose in which the game allows. Like its predecessor, Bad Company, Bad Company 2 features destructible environments. However, more destruction is now possible with Destruction 2.0; allowing players to completely demolish and collapse buildings, rather than just its walls. Micro destruction is also included allowing small parts of cover to be chipped away rather than entire sections.

Plot

In October 1944, a group of US commandos infiltrate an island in the Sea of Japan to extract a Japanese scientist with war decisive information. They successfully secure the defecting Japanese scientist who was working on a secret weapon codenamed "The Black Weapon" (a scalar weapon), and attempt to escape the island on a stolen submarine. But after repeated warnings by the scientist, the commandos witness the effects of Black Weapon's power and subsequently perish, sparking a myth about what really happened in Operation Aurora.

In the present day, Bad Company is on a counter-intelligence operation behind enemy lines in Russia in attempt to secure a high value individual of the US military, and a device related to a scalar weapon. Despite escaping Russian soldiers, and completing what they thought was their final mission in B-company, the device is discovered to be a fake. Being impressed with their previous activities, Army General Braidwood assigns them to the Special Activities Division, and tasks them with delivering information to Agent Aguire, much to the disappointment of Sgt. Redford.

The squad travels to Bolivia in search of Aguire. Through many firefights with paramilitaries, they manage to save Aguire just before a Russian hauls him onto a waiting Mi-24 Hind. After discovering that Aguire's findings were stolen by the Russians, Aguire requests the squad to get all his intelligence detailing the scalar weapon from a satellite. The squad moves up to take the mountain with assistance from their pilot Flynn and his UH-60 Black Hawk. After taking over the satellite station, Sweetwater codes the satellite to crash, with the squad driving over cross country to find it, taking on Vodniks and Quad Bikes along the way. After reaching the satellite, the squad successfully defeat a Russian counterattack aimed at destroying the satellite, but soon bad weather rolls in. While Redford and Haggard go to find transport, with Sweetwater following, Marlowe soon finds the data storage unit and proceeds to go down the mountain during a blizzard, taking on Russian patrols, and is soon extracted by the others in Flynn's helicopter.

During extraction, Aguire briefs the squad about the man responsible for building a scalar weapon named Arkady Kirilenko; the Russian Army colonel the squad failed to eliminate in Chukotka, who is believed to be hiding in Chile. Marlowe and the squad travel to Chile, where they, aided by US Armoured forces and Marines, find Kirilenko, though he soon escapes after US Command starts shelling Kirilenko's position. Left only with papers from Kirilenko's office, Sweetwater discovers there is a shipping manifest for a lost ship called the "Sangre del Toro." Aided by the rest of the squad getting the coordinates, Marlowe finds the ship and retrieves an unnamed compound essential to the use of the weapon, and finds out the truth behind Operation Aurora.

While attempting to meet Aguire in Colombia, the squad's helicopter is shot down by a Javelin and they become separated. Sweetwater and Marlowe regroup first, taking on a militia counter-attack, and they soon find the rest of the squad. After fighting through heavily defended Russian bases, the squad find Flynn, and then race to a helicopter base on Quad Bikes. After fighting through Russian territories in a salvaged Black Hawk, the squad reach the rendezvous with Aguire, and Marlowe gives Aguire the compound, while Redford demands to know what's happening. However, Aguire double-crossed the squad by allying with Kirilenko, his rival in the quest for the scalar weapon. Aguire wanted revenge against the United States for what happened to his father, one of the commandos in original raid on Japan, after Marlowe revealed that the US military callously sent them to their deaths. Despite the alliance, Kirilenko betrays Aguire and kills him. Flynn intervenes and saves the squad at the cost of his own life, his helicopter shot down by an RPG.

While still mourning after Flynn's loss, the squad overhear a Russian soldier's radio, which the squad use to find their position. They begin to move towards a city, but then Kirlienko begins the detonation of the scalar weapon. The squad begin advancing through a Venezuelan city, being attacked by Russian and militia troops, along with mortars. However, as they reach the mouth of a large river, they witness a huge firefight between US and Russian troops. However, as the fight reaches a climax, the scalar weapon detonates, annihilating the US forces and sending "all tech dead." The squad then fight through the blast zone in pursuit of Kirilenko, but, as the squad reach the plane, an An-225 Mryia, they realize it's taking off. The squad unanimously vote that they should hijack the plane, and set off through sewer tunnels towards it. Though they had to discard their weapons, they climb on board through the undercarriage, and await dawn.

The squad begins to progress through the plane, taking out multiple guards before reaching the scalar weapon, which is protected by a reinforced pane of glass, which Haggard says will "take an act of God to get through, or a lot of C4." The squad then fight towards the cockpit of the plane, but realize that Kirilenko is in the Scalar chamber itself when they discover that the cockpit is empty. After detonating C4 to get through the glass, the squad destroy the Scalar weapon, and then proceed to bail out of the plane. However, as Sweetwater tries to give Marlowe the last parachute, Kirilenko tackles him, and Marlowe is forced to dive out of the plane, killing Kirilenko in a free fall with an MP-443. Sweetwater passes Marlowe a parachute in midair, and the pair land safely in Texas alongside the rest of the squad. However, as they begin to celebrate, General Braidwood tells them to follow him in a HMMVW, as the Russians are invading through Alaska.

The last cutscene shows a map of Russian forces swarming through Alaska and Canada, quickly advancing on the US border.

Multiplayer

Bad Company 2 Official Multiplayer Trailer

Official Multiplayer trailer

Multiplayer allows players to select their inventory from four kits during a match. Actions performed in matches, such as resupplying teammates, reviving fallen teammates and killing players, gives players generic experience, allowing them to increase their rank over time, and kit related experience points, which contributes to unlocking weapons and upgrades for each kit individually.

Specific actions will also award players with Pins and Insignias which also grant additional experience.

The dog tag system was included in game as with previous Battlefield installments. By killing a player with a knife attack, players can collect others' dog tags and can then view them in the main menu.

Classes

The classes in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 combine aspects from the Demolition and Specialist classes to form 4 broader classes. Each with their own area of combat. Each class has 7 primary weapons unique to each class and 9 primary weapons which each class can use. They also have 5 pistols and a tracer dart pistol which all classes can use.

Assault - The kit is equipped with an all-purpose Assault Rifle with an attachable under-barrel grenade launcher, smoke grenade, or shotguns as well as Ammunition boxes to the kit for resupplying ammunition. If the main weapon is swapped for an all-kit weapon, like a shotgun, the grenade launcher is replaced by sticks of C4 explosive and a detonator.

Engineer - The combination of the Specialist and Demolition kits, having access to sub-machine guns, a Repair Tool and anti-tank launchers and mines. The repair tool allows players to repair vehicles and emplacements at their leisure. Rocket Launchers and Anti-Tank mines are also issued to the kit, allowing for the engagement of enemy vehicles.

Medic - A combination of the Medic and Support classes from Battlefield 2. While retaining the defibrillator and medkits, the Medic class carries the light machine guns the Support class used to have. The machine guns can also be used to provide heavy fire support and devastating suppressive fire, as the high fire rates and large magazines allow players to lay down lots of fire very quickly.

Recon - The long-range element of any force, using powerful bolt-action rifles and high-powered scopes to eliminate foes at range. The kit is equipped with motion sensors and scopes which can spot enemies automatically. The ability to use explosives, in the form of a Mortar Strike and C4 satchels. The Recon kit can also engage light vehicles and helicopters, with the high-powered shots granting the Recon player the ability to pick off drivers and passengers through armored glass.

Enemies can be tagged and called out via the spot button while aiming at them.

Addition of Squad Rush and Squad Deathmatch gametypes.

The inclusion of a four class system resulting in the Specialist and Demolition kits being removed, with their weapons and gear being spread out among the Recon, Assault, Engineer and Medic classes.

There is a new Hardcore mode for any gametype that removes most HUD elements, disables the killer camera, and reduces player health to 60%. The remaining HUD element is the ticket counter located in the bottom left. The player is still able to spot although there will be no marker.

New and upgraded environments. New locations include snowy Alaska, and jungles/villages of South America as well as returning Bad Company multiplayer maps.

Downloadable Content

Dr. Pepper Promotion

Soft drink company, Dr. Pepper, was holding a promotion that ran until March 31, 2010, in which every specially marked 20 oz., 16 oz. and 14 oz. bottles or 32 oz. fountain cups of Dr Pepper, Dr Pepper Cherry, Diet Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper Cherry had a code under the cap good for a redeemable SPECACT DLC from Dr. Pepper's website. The promotion has since ended, but the codes can still be used.

Every new copy of the game issued players with codes for the VIP pass. It mainly features alternative versions of maps in the base games on different modes. Other packs feature new maps entirely as well as a few remastered versions from Bad Company. There are a total of seven VIP Map pack with the service later made free with EA having dropped their online pass service.

Packs were released that rewarded owners with unique skins and weapons, one for each class. The packs themselves are a reference to the faction Bravo One Charlie now belongs to in the singleplayer campaign.

An expansion pack for the game was released in September 2010. It was developed as a sequel to Battlefield Vietnam, bringing players into the jungles of Vietnam during the war and offering era exclusive vehicles and weapons.

Development

The game was first announced in February 2009. On October 19, DICE posted a Twitter announcement stating the game will have dedicated server support. This was in response to Infinity Ward's announcement on October 17 that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 would not support dedicated servers.

During an interview with GameZone's Dakota Grabowski in March 2010, Senior Producer Patrick Bach revealed that following the negative feedback from PC gamers after the first Battlefield: Bad Company was not released on the PC, Electronic Arts and DICE had a separate dedicated team working on the PC version of Bad Company 2.

Bach stated "We see it as very, very hardcore and important part of our customers. So we put a lot of effort into making sure that everything worked perfect." Bach also commented on the use of peripherals such as a mouse and keyboard on consoles, saying "I don't think that we have any special connections to peripherals to the consoles [...] The biggest problem with peripherals for consoles is that the console itself is a level playground. It's even and you know the consumer has the same technology and have the same peripherals and same controls – which makes it easier for us to create a game that feels fair. By catering to a mouse and keyboard for the consoles, it would maybe skew the even playground."

Beta and Demo

The first Beta was on the PlayStation 3, which ran from November 11, 2009 to December 28, 2009. The Beta featured the full multiplayer system and one map, Arica Harbor on Rush. Many evident modifications have been made and glitches had been fixed since. Players could access it by acquiring a Beta code by pre-ordering from GameStop or by obtaining a code from an online provider such as IGN or GameSpot.

The PC Beta ran from January 28, 2010, to February 25, 2010. The demo was scheduled to be released for consoles at the first of February 2010. The multiplayer demo was confirmed for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 on January 31. In order to have played the PC Beta, you must have had pre-ordered the game from certain retailers, or you could have registered for a Beta key at the Battlefield Bad Company 2 site, which would give you a code to access the multiplayer. The Battlefield Bad Company 2 demo featured the map Port Valdez, a snowy map set in Alaska. The game mode included was the new Rush mode, which is essentially Gold Rush from Battlefield: Bad Company, simply renamed.

Each class started with one main weapon, a pistol, and the class's respective gadget. As the player gained more points with a certain class, a second weapon for that class becomes available. Also available for unlock was the Tracer Gun, the G3 combat rifle, the Mk 14 EBR, M1A1 Thompson, M1 Garand (only for BF veterans), several shotguns, and the "Vehicle specialty."

Reception

Reception

Review scores

1UP

Atrip

GI

GameRev

GSpot

GSpy

GRadar

GT

9.1/10

IGN

8.9/10

OPM

4.5/5

OXM

8.5/10

PCGUK

81/100

PSM3

87/100

TX

9.5/10

Aggregate scores

Game Rankings

88.34% (PC) 89.03% (Xbox 360) 88.83% (PlayStation 3)

Metacritic

87/100 (PC) 88/100 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 received generally high reviews from critics. Many praised the engaging singleplayer, memorable characters, destructible environments, and the amazing multiplayer. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game received a metascore of 88,[1][2] while the PC version received a slightly lower score of 87.[3]

GameSpot gave the game a 9 out of 10,[4] saying that "The action is top-notch in both campaign and multiplayer alike. Whether or not you're looking for a new shooter in your life, you owe it to yourself to play Battlefield: Bad Company 2."

IGN gave the game an 8.9 out of 10,[5] saying that "Bad Company 2 as an online shooter is flexible and engaging, offering several features that the competition can only dream of. If you're looking for a more strategic and team-based change of pace, look no further. This is the game for you."

Sales

On May 12, 2010, DICE announced that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 had sold over 5 million copies, indicating its commercial success.[6] As of June 30, 2011, over 9 million copies of the game have been sold across all platforms. As of March 2012, this number had increased to over 12 million.

Trivia

Throughout the game's singleplayer, several references are made to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, mainly to the third mission, Cliffhanger. This would be apparent because when DICE was probably developing the game, Infinity Ward had revealed Cliffhanger as part of an E3 (Autumn/Winter) Demo, and it was the only level released to the public at that time.

The game has a more serious tone than its predecessor, considering the much more critical setting and mission, changing from the personal greed and ambition of the characters to saving an entire country from a weapon of mass destruction.

Players who own copies of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and the specific VIP Code that came with their game were given early access to the Medal of Honor (2010) Beta (on June 17, rather than June 21) and early access to the M24 in the game's full-released multiplayer.

On August 29, 2010, PlayStation 3 players experienced a mass error which temporarily deleted their data and any experience they earned that day. The error reoccurred on September 19, 2010 and December 23, 2010.